Mighty+Multipliers

=Mighty Multipliers= Monica Perez, mones93@mac.com



Instructional Objective
What will the learners learn from this game (or more likely, what learning objectives are being reinforced by this game)? If it's for school use, where does it fit into the curriculum? (You can find links to curricular frameworks [|here] ).

Mighty Multipliers is a curriculum based math game that reinforces multiplication. The game is for classroom use, but may be used at home for children and parents that would like to enhance and enjoy their multiplication skills together. The California classroom standards the game addresses are: Mighty Multipliers design meets these objectives:
 * 2.0 Students calculate and solve problems involving addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division:
 * 2.2 Memorize to automaticity the multiplication table for numbers between 1 and 10.
 * 2.3 Use the inverse relationship of multiplication and division to compute and check results.
 * Students will develop knowledge of multiplication facts.
 * Students will demonstrate competency in mental math.
 * Students will self-check the reasonableness of computations.

Learners & Context of Use
Who is the game designed for? Describe them in terms of their age, grade level, affinity towards the subject matter, and anything special about them that the reader should know. Where would the game be used? If in a school, what accomodations would you need to make to do it in a typical classroom? Is it designed to be played more than once? What would happen prior to the game? What would happen after it?

Mighty Multipliers is a multiplication game designed for grade levels beginning in third grade. The game can be played by students studying and practicing multiplication facts. This game is appropriate for school children ages eight and older. It is suggested that this game is played in a classroom setting during a math instructional time period. Prior to the game, direct instruction and a modeled demonstration needs to take place. This type of precursor will set the players up and leave an open space for the players to play independently. Not only would a demonstration have to take place, but learners will have to have schema on the concept of multiplication as well as be familiar with vocabulary that will appear throughout the game. Without these pre-cursors, the succession of the game may not lend itself to a steady and effective pace. After several sessions of playing the game, t is suggested that the teacher assess through formal multiplication quizzes if the extra time spent on this activity has contributed to an increase in passing scores on the tests.

Competing Products
What's out there that covers the same content as this game? How is your game similar to others? How is it different and better? (You can check the [|Board Game Geek] search engine and the [|Educational Learning Games catalog] for school-oriented titles. To find competing products I searched the web and found some websites that focused primarily on classroom, multiplication games. One resourceful website that helped me find competing products was [|Multiplication.com] There were some electronic games that caught my eye, and would of wold be players. [|Digitz] and [|Flashmaster] are multiplication games that provided an electronic experience for players. Both games compete with Mighty Multipliers on two levels, they both teach multiplication and are for classroom use. However, Digitz and Flashmaster are not as simplified and as cost effective as Mighty Multipliers. The closest game I found on Multiplication.com that would come clse to the concept of Mighty Multipliers was Dots. The object of Dots' game is to make equal groups and the person at the end with the greater number of dots wins. However unlike Mighty Multipliers, Dots does not allow the players to create an array with game pieces, such as cubes and it is not a timed act.

**Object of the Game**
Object of the game: Each player starts with a set amount of 100 cubes. The players pull a product card. On the playing cards will be products. The player will then be able to decide which way they would like to set up an array on the board. For example: 24, this is the product pulled on the card, however the player can decide to make an array that is either 2x12 / 12x2/ 3x8 / 8x3 / 4x6 / 6x4 Once the player decides, they lay out their array on the board. However, each player is given one minute to do so. If they do not do so in time, they lose their turn. The player who creates a larger array/product will then take their opponents cubes. The player who does not have enough cubes to create an array will lose and the player with the most wins! Example: Once the player decides, they lay out their array on the board.

XXXXXXXX XXXXXXXX XXXXXXXX

The second player pulls a product card. They get 42. So now this player can decide which two factors to use for their array. So let’s say they set it up as 6x7

XXXXXXX XXXXXXX XXXXXXX XXXXXXX XXXXXXX XXXXXXX

This is what their array would represent on the board.

Now let’s not forget the first player. They decided to go with 3x8 to make the product of 24. So which player made the larger product? Player two! They also used up more area of the board. Therefore, player two wins this round and takes player one’s cubes. This will continue each round until a player is left without enough cubes to construct an array to match the product they pulled. The player with the most cubes at the end prevails and is the Mighty Multiplier.

Content Analysis
What are the elements of this content? Breaking it down will help you to think about possible game elements to include. Create a link from this point in the document to a separate new page created with the Board Game Content Analysis template. Mighty Multipliers Analysis

Game Materials
List each of the physical objects one would find in the box. For example, the board, each type of card, each type of prize or token, etc.) After listing the materials, describe each in as much detail as needed. Include illustrations of the board and each type of card. Two 100 piece sets of colored cubes
 * Mighty Multipliers Game Materials**

One Minute Sand Timer

Product Cards

Game Board

Time Required
How long would the game take to set up? How long to play? Would one carry a game over several play periods?

Game set up will not take long. The board would be a flat card board piece that would easily fold up for clean up and fold out for use. The cards will come stacked in a case, that way they do not get scrambled up and thrown about the box. Ideally, the game should be used during a 45 minute math period. However, as players become more experienced, the game can be used a math center during a 20 minute rotation. Or, the game may be played for as long as the players desire. The game will not carry over several play periods. It is a simple game that can be played in one sitting. There are not calculations to be saved and continued over time. I personally perfer quick and effective games, I would hope that this would not drag on.

The Rules
List the rules as you would provide them to the players. Use a numbered list and keep the rules short, simple, and unambiguous. If there are multiple forms of the game for different objectives or different levels of challenge, separate the rules accordingly rather than merging them into one set.

Rules 1. Set-up the game and make sure each player has a set of cubes. 2. Decide who will go first. 3. Draw a product card. 4. Decided what multiplication sentence you will use to build the product. 5. Turn the sand timer over, you have one minute to build your array. 6. Build an array on the board to demonstrate your multiplication sentence. 7. Let your opponent take their turn. 8. The player that took a greater number of area on the board wins the round and takes their opponents cubes.
 * Mighty Multiplier Rules:**

Motivational Issues
Describe how the game engages the learner. How does it make use of curiosity, challenge, control, fantasy, competition, cooperation, etc.? (No one game will do all of these things, so focus on the particular strengths of this particular game.) Make specific reference to the theoretical readings associated with this course.

Mighty Multipliers engages learners by inviting them to challenge themselves and each other at a friendly game of multiplication. I noticed that my third grade students are compelled to participate in games when something is at stake. Mighty Multipliers asks players to show off their knowledge of multiplication, but not just by orally calling out a multiplication sentence and product, however it challenges them to show their knowledge through the display of an array. The hands on experience is motivational for students, especially my English Language Learners. The whole visual experience is motivational and engaging for them. It is also fun for learners to take something away from their opponent. In Mighty Multipliers every round is a risk of losing your cubes, but can be rewarding when you build a greater array and get to take your opponents cubes from them. Finally, the title of the Mighty Multiplier at the end of the games is probably the the most motivational component. The act of taking away cubes, displaying a larger array and crowning yourself the Mighty Multiplier are all very controlling roles, therefore motivating learners to act as better players of the game. This also entices players to want to keep playing in order to regain the title from their opponent.

Design Process
Describe the process you went through in putting the game together. What were your first thoughts? How did you enhance your ideas? What ideas did you consider and reject (and why?). How did you gather background information? What did you do to see if there are similar games out there? What did you do to get feedback on the idea? How did you flesh out the game to the point of having a playable prototype? How did you gather feedback from that? What lessons did you learn from this that you'll carry to your next game design project?

My initial idea was to design a game titled, Factor Factor Product. Immediately I was cornered into the idea of a race game. Naturally that was my first thought when brainstorming game ideas. Personally, I do not have a lot of experience with board games. I do not like to play them, nor am I curious about them. I tend to shy away from board game experiences. So, the idea of a race game was all I knew. After beginning the process of a design for m original idea, I began to realize it wasn't the route I was committed to and engaged in. In discussion with my professor, Bernie Dodge, we dug up alternative routes I could take with my multiplication concept. Bernie helped me realize that not every game has to be a race with someone getting to the finish line. He also helped me understand that there are other experiences where players/learners will fell the sense of finishing, just in a different format. After our discussion with Bernie, I was inspired to change the whole idea all together. That meant I was going to change the name as well. The name Mighty Multipliers come from an activity we do at our grade level. Every week we try to motivate the children to memorize their multiplication facts by giving them timed drills in the cafeteria. I knew that if I attached this name to the game, my students would relate to it and want to incorporate it into their math studies. Now that Mighty Multipliers was born, I decided to change the format from a race game to a sort of a square off between two players. Also, rather then them just calling out a product, I wanted them to pull a product and have to mathematically think about the various ways to write a multiplication sentence for that product as well as display a visual of what they were thinking. I came up with the idea to use the cubes because in my classroom, one of our multiplication practices is to create these magic multiplication squares. Basically we use graph paper and shade in the amount of squares per multiplication sentence. The shading in of these squares enforces the concept of an array and LxW which is the concept of Area. Once I knew what I wanted to do, I had to come up with an objective. I wanted it to be simple and I didn't want learners to lose sight of exactly what they had to do in order to win. At first I was just going to have them display an array and try to cover up the board until their was no more space, however this didn't seem fun, nor did it put anything at stake. So I remembered the card game War, and sort of went off the idea of the taking away of your opponent's card. I then decided to make it fun by whoever could display a greater array in one minute would win the round and get to take their opponent's cubes and this would go on until a player did nt have enough cubes to build an array for their product card leaving the other player with huge pile of cubes and the title of Mighty Multiplier. Before I could commit to any idea, I analyzed the strengths and weaknesses of math games that I already use in my classroom. The first game I use to enhance multiplication is a game called, Four in a Row. This is a good game because it plays two people against each other. I find the students to be very focused and they are not concerned about what other students are doing, only what their opponent is doing. I liked this because sometimes when you have more than a couple people playing, the noise level can raise, players can get off task and players tend to want to team up against other players and this might lead to unfair play. A weakness about Four in a Row is that, there is nothing too big at stake. Players block each other from making four in a row but when someone wins my kids sort of a bored with the game by then. It can also go on and on and nobody wins. This is much fun for my students. A second game we use in my classroom is Multiplication Dice. This requires players to roll a pair of dice. The numbers displayed become their two factors. They then have to call out the multiplication sentence to the team and everyone writes it down. A strength is that it re-enforces team work and cooperation, however it really isn't a game. Nobody wins anything, nobody is trying to get somewhere first and there are no end results other then a paper full of factors and products. This lead me to the conclusion that Multiplication Dice is not a game, but a practice exercise. In my final steps I really liked coming up with the concept and watching it evolve into a board game. I know that this is simple game, but it makes for a quick and easy game that learners don't need a lot of guided practice with. This proved in my play testing. It was difficult to design a game board, so for my play test I printed out products, glued them to index cards, used a sand timer I already had, and used a large sheet of graph paper. My student were already familiar with the cubes so that made the game relatable. I gave them the directions and watched. I rotated two players at a time to try and get various examples of play test results. First I paired up an academically high student with a low student. They both were able to follow the rules and begin to play immediately. They tried to look at me for guidance but I had to reassure them that I was just a spectator and I could not be a part of their experience. The first time a round it was apparent that they got the idea. However, when the academically lower student pulled a larger product, 64, they could not come up with factors because they do not know all their multiplication facts. This raised my eyebrow because not all my students are proficient yet with their multiplication facts. She then proceeded to get her chart out and use that to continue to play the game. The next pair I watched were two academically high students. I knew that this would be the true test. Both players read the rules with ease and anxiously began the game. The first round was fun to watch because they both had no trouble coming up with multiplication sentences for the product cards they pulled. They also loved the challenge of only having one minute to display their arrays. They automatically knew who one the round just by knowing their multiplication facts and visually seeing who had the larger amount of area. The winner of the round had not problem snatching the cubes from their opponent, and he said, "I'll take those from you, thank you!" At that point the opponent who had just lost his cubes was revved up and ready to go in the next round and eager to return the favor of taking their cubes away. The play testing was very telling. It showed me that Mighty Multipliers was easy to understand and follow. It also told me that not everyone might like my game, especially students who do not know all their multiplication facts. So this helped me to personally decide that if they cannot memorize all their facts before they play, they may use their charts for help. This would help them build confidence but also let them feel included and successful.
 * First Thoughts**
 * Enhancing My Ideas**
 * Nailing Down an Objective**
 * Similar Games in My Classroom**
 * Final Steps of Mighty Multipliers**